Health Insurance is EXPENSIVE!!

[disneychrista]

I just lost my employer sponsored health insurance. I can not believe how expensive it is to get insurance on your own. Nearly $500 for the cheapest plan available. $850 for a comparable plan to what I have now. Holy Cow. Where is the AFFORDABLE in the affordable health care act.

Edited to add:
This cost is to just cover me. Single 45yo Female.

 

[firefly_ris]

We pay about that and that's WITH employer sponsored insurance (it's a small business) and a $6k deductible. Sometimes I'm not even sure why we bother having it. We have an HSA account on top of that that we try to scrounge enough money to put into.

 

[disneychrista]

We pay about that and that's WITH employer sponsored insurance (it's a small business) and a $6k deductible. Sometimes I'm not even sure why we bother having it. We have an HSA account on top of that that we try to scrounge enough money to put into.

When you say we I assume you mean you are paying that for more than one person. This cost is just to cover me.

 

[firefly_ris]

When you say we I assume you mean you are paying that for more than one person. This cost is just to cover me.

Yes, myself and my husband (my kids are on an entirely different plan offered by our state).

Also, ouch. Yep. It stinks.

 

[LVSWL]

BCBS discontinued our grandfathered health plan this year, which was $1400 for two of us. Our new premium is $38,000/year or $3166 per month.

 

[SteveH]

@disneychrista sorry you're going through that, it's not easy nor affordable as you've found out. Did your employer drop coverage or are you looking for a new employer? If you left did you consider the COBRA coverage? It's usually a bit of a shock how expensive it is but it can be an option.

 

[Hikergirl]

BCBS discontinued our grandfathered health plan this year, which was $1400 for two of us. Our new premium is $38,000/year or $3166 per month.

 

[holden]

Our price went up with the new year. We now pay $1400/mo for 2 adults and one child. Our other DD has different insurance.

 

[WebmasterDoc]

Please keep the discussion on topic. Political comments are still not welcome.

Thanks in advance for your cooperation.

 

[kimblebee]

BCBS discontinued our grandfathered health plan this year, which was $1400 for two of us. Our new premium is $38,000/year or $3166 per month.

HOLY COW!! That’s more than we make in a month.

 

[lynxstch]

HOLY COW!! That’s more than we make in a month.

Same here! My jaw dropped when I read that posters cost!!

 

[LVSWL]

Exactly!

 

[LVSWL]

Same here! My jaw dropped when I read that posters cost!!

Trust me, we were shocked! We know a lot of other people that this has happened to. All are struggling to pay the premiums. My DH is an insurance agent, so we have researched all the options, which are really not options at all. Never thought that I would look forward to the day we are eligible for Medicare.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

My “good” family plan at work is $1,726/month my cost. It’s still an 80/20 with $3,500 deductible and $6,000 max OOP.

Less than 3 grand, though it could approach that if I actually use it.

 

[dish rag]

I just lost my employer sponsored health insurance. I can not believe how expensive it is to get insurance on your own. Nearly $500 for the cheapest plan available. $850 for a comparable plan to what I have now. Holy Cow. Where is the AFFORDABLE in the affordable health care act.

Edited to add:
This cost is to just cover me. Single 45yo Female.

Welcome to my world, been that way for a long time for me. Now, there is only one carrier that I can sign up with in Central Fla. Aggravating to know how many people are being subsidized. I hope to be on the Canadian plan soon, but we still want some kind of coverage when in the US.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

There’s no way i could afford some of these premiums. I would just have to go without coverage and hope nothing major ever happened. This is insane.

 

[OhMari]

My sister works in the health field for a clinic and her whole paycheck basically goes towards her health care work sponsored premium.

I have mine with my husbands employer. I am waiting for the shoe to drop and be told, family members will no longer be covered, just employees.

There’s no way i could afford some of these premiums. I would just have to go without coverage and hope nothing major ever happened. This is insane.

It is insane, but something could happen tomorrow. It kills me that we can not afford our premiums, yet the health care field does not take a hit and lower their costs.

 

[morgan98]

My sister works in the health field for a clinic and her whole paycheck basically goes towards her health care work sponsored premium.

I have mine with my husbands employer. I am waiting for the shoe to drop and be told, family members will no longer be covered, just employees.

It is insane, but something could happen tomorrow. It kills me that we can not afford our premiums, yet the health care field does not take a hit and lower their costs.

Health insurance is very expensive, no doubt about it. However, the health care field in many instances does take a hit. If someone is uninsured and shows up at a hospital needing true emergency care, they must be treated. Same with the under insured. When they cannot pay their bills, the hospital and service providers have to eat that cost. That is a big reason why costs are inflated. In some cases, especially in inner cities, they collect far less than what they bill. The issue is much more complicated that just lowering the cost of delivery.

 

[disneychrista]

@disneychrista sorry you're going through that, it's not easy nor affordable as you've found out. Did your employer drop coverage or are you looking for a new employer? If you left did you consider the COBRA coverage? It's usually a bit of a shock how expensive it is but it can be an option.

My employee dropped coverage, so COBRA isn't an option. I am the HR/Payroll person so I saw the insurance bills, so I knew it was expensive. Just didn't think that a bronze plan that is basically only there for major medical would be almost as much as the gold plan we had.

 

[Veronique]

Meanwhile in Canada, my husband was just diagnosed with stomach cancer and our only financial lost are a % of his wage (he had an insurance with his union), the day I miss work for an appointment and parking/gas fee. Everything is covered. No deductible. Same meds for the Chemo that they use in the US and his surgeon is an Harvard graduate, so I'm guessing similar procedures.

We do have "high" taxes. On a total family income of 110 000$ CAD, with two kids, we will pay around 25 000-30 000$ I'd guess? But we get 7$ a day daycare, a free good quality public schools system, low cost colleges, 1 year of parental leave for a new baby, child and family benefits for low to middle class family (we still receive some with our salaries), old age pensions, all services I can think off (road, garbage, parks, ...), + free medical care and procedures, and many other things...